The Invincibles, SAS and Cantona - 20 years of the Premier League

The Premier League has revealed the shortlist for its 20-year awards. Here Kevin McCarra reflects on the period's highlights

'The Premier League has been a groundbreaking initiative that challenged cliches about the insularity of England. Football in this country may not be superior to all other nations, but coverage of its matches has been sold to an eager planet' Photograph: Allsport/Alamy/Reuters/Guardian

The greatest team in the history of a Premier League edging towards the close of its 20th season typified the volatile nature of that competition. There was an unintended collaboration as a series of managers found they had each played a part in creating the Invincibles of Arsenal, who took the title undefeated in 2003-04.

It can be said that Arsène Wenger added finesse to the intransigent defending instilled by George Graham. Between those two, however, lay the contribution that Bruce Rioch squeezed in before being sacked. In 1995 his first signing for Arsenal, at a price of £7.5m, was Dennis Bergkamp, a player who had cut a disconsolate figure at Internazionale. The lives of the Dutchman and the north London club would be entwined for 11 years.

Bergkamp, a schemer of a forward, was the perfect foil for Thierry Henry, who had speed and technique that made him uncontainable at times. Wenger, in those gleaming days, showed virtuosity in bonding ruggedness with expertise. Those traits also coexisted in Patrick Vieira, a commanding and composed midfielder.

For all the pride Arsenal rightly take in that period, there are certainly rivals to Wenger and not just in the person of Sir Alex Ferguson, who towers over the Premier League. As Roberto Mancini struggles to create a Manchester City that can make its talent tell, minds go back to the sort of heavy expenditure, by the standard of its time, that made Blackburn Rovers champions in 1995.

The cash was spent with towering practicality by Kenny Dalglish. The defence was sound, the central midfield had a resilience that allowed Blackburn to attack with confidence from the wings, where accurate crosses fed Chris Sutton and Alan Shearer. It might have been a glaringly obvious approach but the precision and the calibre of those individual players made all the difference.

Anyone who prizes diversity should appreciate Blackburn's efforts, because there are just three other clubs who have won the Premier League, with Arsenal joined by Manchester United and Chelsea. Liverpool's difficulties on that front have reduced diversity. The situation, all the same, does not differ greatly in comparable countries such as Spain (Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Deportivo La Coruña, Valencia since 1992-93) or Italy (Milan, Inter, Juventus, Lazio, Roma).

In England there has to be particular acclaim for United. So long as the Glazers are in control, the club will not be accused of buying their honours with the aid of besotted benefactors determined to pay whatever it takes. Despite the current run of form in the Premier League, chastening days in Champions League and Europa League suggest that the present mastery is to be taken as a strictly domestic phenomenon.

That situation could well alter. Chelsea, should they achieve stability, can show that they have established figures as well as others who are coming to the fore. The overall expertise sees them as England's sole survivors in the Champions League, even if the encounter with Barcelona in the semi-final has a daunting air.

The Premier League environment in which a club operates is, however, demanding an increasing reliability. It is possible, for instance, that United could take full points from the four remaining fixtures and set a new club record with 94 points. Ferguson's side did not come anywhere near that mark when landing the title in 1994. It was a year in which there were 42 matches to be completed in a 22-team league, yet 84 points were enough for United to prevail.

Without the advent of Eric Cantona, who moved from Elland Road to Old Trafford in November 1992, when the eventual champions were in eighth place, nine points adrift of the leaders Norwich City, the metamorphosis might have been an impossibility. The broader impact of Cantona in adding glamour and mystique to a Premier League that was soon to be introduced was vast.

All the same, it is far from being universally relished. The wealth involved has had an alienating effect and a touch of self-hypnosis is called for if fans are to be convinced that the club truly belongs to them. With ticket prices high, attendances matter but so, too, do television rights and sales of merchandise to supporters who, in some cases, live far away.

So far as the standard of play is concerned, the Premier League has fallen back from the peak of its renown. Those of a certain age are therefore inclined to hark back to a time when the entertainment was cheaper and there were fewer barriers between player and fan.

Nonetheless the Premier League has been a groundbreaking initiative that challenged clichés about the insularity of England. Football in this country may not be superior to all other nations but coverage of its matches has been sold to an eager planet.

Best quote "When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea. Thank you very much" Eric Cantona, 1995.

"The trick is always buy when you're strong so he needs to buy players. You can't win anything with kids. You look at that line-up Manchester United had today and Aston Villa at quarter past two when they get the team sheet, it's just going to give them a lift and it will happen every time he plays the kids. He's got to buy players, as simple as that" Alan Hansen, 1996.

"When you do that with footballers like he said about Leeds, and when you do things like that about a man like Stuart Pearce. I've kept really quiet but I'll tell you something, he went down in my estimations when he said that. We have not resorted to that. You can tell him now, we're still fighting for this title and he's got to go to Middlesbrough and get something. And I'll tell you, honestly, I will love it if we beat them. Love it. But it really has got to me. I've voiced it live, not in front of the press or anywhere. I'm not even going to the press conference. But the battle is still on and Man United have not won this yet" Kevin Keegan, 1996.

"We have to carry on doing our best. It's getting tickly now – squeaky-bum time, I call it. It's going to be an interesting few weeks and the standard of the Premiership is such that nothing will be easy" Sir Alex Ferguson, 2003.

"Please don't call me arrogant because what I am saying is true. I am European champion so I am not one of the bottle. I think I am a special one" José Mourinho, 2004